Fear, Confidence, Empathy
December 30, 2006
8:51 a.m., MT

Gospazha touches on each of these emotional states quite deftly in Enjoying crisis - I don't get it. A few especially worthy bits:

The more I hear some freedom-minded folk discuss the gloom and doom they're certain will befall the U.S. (and this post doesn't address whether any particular doom is likely), the more I observe that a significant number of them take some pleasure in fantasizing about an impending collapse. Is it just me, or is their glee a bit, well, disturbing? ....

Would these same folks, say, point and laugh at a beloved family member who, after smoking for years, develops lung cancer? Perhaps they sound so much like children anticipating Christmas Day because of the tendency for freedom folk to feel so superior to others for their beliefs and preparations. Whatever the motivation, I really can't say I understand taking pleasure in the possibility of others' misery, particularly not misery on the scale they're predicting. ....

One of the toughest things people often struggle with is to push through fear and live with confidence. Community-building and networking with the like-minded helps that, but not when those within want to build fear and misery into the community's very foundation.

I'd rather not see the end of the world as we know it, knowing how much suffering and unpleasantness (including my own) it might entail, but sadly too many of these freedom folk appear completely unable to grasp the concept of empathy.

Gospazha has identified—much more clearly than I've ever been able to articulate—one of the primary reasons I've withdrawn from a lot of the freedom movement. Fortunately, as I've lost contact with the segment she describes, I've encountered many caring, freedom-loving souls whose messages and actions help buoy me, inspire me, motivate me ... Best of all, many of you fine individuals come here on a regular basis and share your goodness. I appreciate that more than I can say.

But I suspect I probably will try to say more on this at some point soon; something's been burbling in my brain along these lines for some time now.

Sunni

Comments: 6 people have contributed to the conversation

On Saturday, December 30th, at approximately 10:46 a.m. Mountain time, dr. lenny said:

i oscillate between a lot of different mental energy states, depending on the scale of achievement that i wish to accomplish. In some of these places, the concept of empathy doesn't exist because it is too complicated an emotion to deal with in a something needs to be done setting. It is not that i don't feel for people, but the decision of which lifeboat to ride is not germane when all the boats have put out to sea. The coming collapse of the system can be an opportunity or a disaster depending on the ability to change our point of view. But natural resource distribution compared to the economic resource distribution is so badly off balance, that a worldwide economic crash is a 'the sooner the better proposition' rather than a 'we can avoid it if we all pull together and try' type of deal.

but really, the skills that we have that we enjoy using for the benefit of others are the ones we master and work hard at accomplishing. These boy caramels would not come howdt as lucious if you hadn't spent hours in the kitchen confectionary learning the trade. but we havent taught our youth that hard work and skill development are rewards in themselves - they see their parents as going from cublicle to vidiot box, with a stop at the drive thru and then a toke, snort or drink to remove the pain. i would never return to modern urban life willingly - but i can understand where the pressure comes from. We know better, but when given opportunity, how many people take it without adequately weighing the consequences. Just count how many buisinesses send you a disclaimer of responsibility with their billing statement at some point during the next year. You can't drop howdt, and you can't stay in.

So where does that leave us? With boundless opportunity and good friends and empathy from the people who share our space, even when it hurts us that they don't make the choices that we would. We are individualists because we need to accepts things on their merits within our spheres of knowledge. When the knowledge isn't valid - we struggle until we can make sense of things that often really make no sense. I'll look forward to burble and will hopefully find a common education theme that allows knowledge to be shared rather than legally protected from common thought.

On Saturday, December 30th, at approximately 8:23 p.m. Mountain time, jeffrey smith said:

Said one of the Sages of the Talmud: "May the Messiah come soon, but may I not be alive to see it!" because of all troubles--the "birthpangs" of the Messiah--that would happen in the process. The transition from our current political setup to a truly free society will inevitably nasty--and it may result in something worse than what we have now. Freedom is not inevitable (which perhaps those folks forget).

Been reading a book--"History of the End of the World" by Kirsch(?) which centers on the Book of Revelations. He makes the point that whoeve wrote it--or more precisely, all those bits where entire countries get wiped out, etc.--was seriously at odds with the society around him. He hated his world so badly he needed, at an emotional level, to see it destroyed. Maybe the people of whom you write have a similar mindset.

On Tuesday, January 2nd, at approximately 12:52 p.m. Mountain time, Happy Curmudgeon said:

It's uncanny how your posts put into words what I've been feeling. The negative energy from some of our movementarian family members can be pretty draining.

On Tuesday, January 2nd, at approximately 2:57 p.m. Mountain time, Sunni said:

We know better, but when given opportunity, how many people take it without adequately weighing the consequences.
So true, Lenny; I'm guilty of that far too often, myself. I'm glad you like the boys, too.

Interesting perspective, Jeffrey, and you may well be right. But I, even in my darkest periods, have never hated my world that badly.

H.C., methinkest the credit goes to Gospazha more than myself this time. Hope you're doing well!

On Thursday, January 4th, at approximately 5:56 p.m. Mountain time, Shaun said:

Couldn't agree more.

Looking for misery, anticipating 'bad times' for others, and feeding off these things doesn't create a synergy (or a world)that I'd wish to be part of. We're all at different 'levels', different phases in personal and spiritual development. If I look back to the person I was years ago (or even yesterday)- or perhaps some people I see around me in the world of now, I'd rather think of the opportunities I and others have to change and grow, rather than simply feast on what I currently perceive as their shortcomings.

Some people are what I was, and others represent what I hope to be, so in this mix, how can we possibly draw a line in the sand and say, "I have now come far enough that" - to quote from above - "I can point and laugh at a beloved family member who, after smoking for years, develops lung cancer".

Having said the above, I'm the first to acknowledge that I'm guilty in the first degree - still - of judging others, and I often wonder if my fiction puts me into that category. Sometimes I guess it clearly does.

How do I rationalise this: I refer to a Ray Bradbury quote, which goes something like "I don't try to predict the future, I try to prevent it".

Apologies for the ramble - this conversation hit a button.

On Thursday, January 4th, at approximately 7:54 p.m. Mountain time, Sunni said:

No need to apologize, Shaun; your comments are spot on, particularly in light of subsequent threads here. And I wouldn't necessarily call fiction judgmental.

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